Not very woman friendly
The Palestinian Authority honors the wrong folks
Sometimes, I just
don’t get Palestinian Arab society.
As the world was
celebrating International Women’s Day, the Palestinian Authority took a
different track.
In the words of the
day’s organizers, “we can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias,
broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements.” Not so the PA.
Instead of honoring
and celebrating the role women play, the PA marked International Women’s Day by
praising and honoring terrorists who murdered women.
Official PA
Television, which had been continuously broadcasting Coronavirus news, paused
on International Women’s Day to devote some attention to an apparently more
important topic. The broadcast began with an interview with Um Nasser Abu Hmeid. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, she’s the
mother of five terrorists who are serving life in prison for multiple murders.
The interviewer praised them as heroes and their mother spoke about how proud
she was of them.
One is Muhammed Abu
Hmeid. On December 14, 1990, he and a fellow-terrorist burst into a factory in
Jaffa. Using long knives, they murdered Ms. Iris Asraf, a 22 year-old clerk,
and two male employees.
I will spare you the
horrific details of what the “hero” Muhammed did to Ms. Asraf; I will note only
what the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported at the time: “The body of one
victim reportedly was sliced into quarters. Another was nearly decapitated, and
the a third was disemboweled.”
After the glowing
interview with the murderers’ mother, photographs of Arab women terrorists
filled the screen. The narrator described their “heroic” deeds and hailed them
as “martyrs.” (Thanks to Palestinian Media Watch for these translations.) The
fact that many of their victims were women did not diminish their status as the
PA’s heroes of International Women’s Day.
There was Leila
Khaled, who twice hijacked airplanes on which there were many women passengers.
There was Fatima Barnawi, who planted a bomb in a Jerusalem movie theater which
many women were attending.
Most of all, there
was Dalal Mughrabi. She occupies a special place in the hearts of the PA regime
and the Palestinian Arab public. The PA has named numerous girls’ schools,
public squares, and sports tournaments after her.
What did Mughrabi do
that so endears her to Palestinian Arabs?
On March 9, 1978,
she led a squad of Arab terrorists who set out from Lebanon towards Israel, in
several small boats. They were members of Fatah, the largest faction of the
Palestine Liberation Organization. At the time, Yasir Arafat was chairman of
the PLO and Fatah, and Mahmoud Abbas was his second in command. Today, Abbas is
chairman of the PLO, Fatah, and the Palestinian Authority.
The Mughrabi gang’s
first victim was a woman.
When Dalal Mughrabi
and her fellow-terrorists landed on a northern Israeli beach, they happened to
encounter Gail Rubin, an American Jewish nature photographer, who was taking
photos of rare birds. Her work had been exhibited at the Jewish Museum in New
York City and other prominent venues. She was also a niece of U.S. Senator
Abraham Ribicoff (D-Connecticut).
One of the
terrorists, Hussain Fayadh, later explained to the Lebanese Television station
Al-Manar what happened: "Sister Dalal al-Mughrabi had a conversation with
the American journalist. Before killing her, Dalal asked: 'How did you enter
Palestine?' [Rubin] answered: 'They gave me a visa.' Dalal said: 'Did you get
your visa from me, or from Israel? I have the right to this land. Why didn't
you come to me?' Then Dalal opened fire on her."
As Gail laying dying
on the beach, Mughrabi and her fellow-terrorists walked to the nearby Coastal
Road. An Israeli bus approached. They hijacked it. And they murdered 37
passengers. Eleven of their victims were girls or women.
Tali Aharonovitch.
Naomi Elichai. Galit Ankwa. Mathilda Askenazy-Daniel. Rina Bushkenitch. Liat
Gal-On. Naama Hadani. Rebecca Hohman. Malka Leibovitch-Weiss. Tziona
Lozia-Cohen. Rina Sosensky. Gail Rubin. That is who should be remembered on
International Women’s Day.
Instead, the PA
turned the occasion into a veritable International Anti-Women’s Day. Where were
all the protests from feminist groups who claim to care about women’s rights?
Where was the outcry from the all the self-described progressives and peace
activists? Do women’s lives mean so little to them?
This post and others like it can be viewed at Times of Israel
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